Dieter's Delight - Grilled Paneer on a bed of sprouts

I have tried lots of ways to lose weight, but what really helped me are eating right and working out right. Having said that, it's not easy to eat right and work out always. There have been pangs of emotional eating, raiding the fridge at midnight (like Nigella - oh she has such a negative impact on weight loss), eating because you go out in a group and you can't help resist temptation (yeah OMG did that to me) and then the bakers shower their love on you by baking these wonderful cakes and you can't help but indulge. 

And suddenly, I've been seeing too many posts on weight loss and a friend also remarked that I'd gained weight :-( So, it's back to basics - firing it away on the treadmill, combined with lots of reps of Surya Namaskar, a zero-carb high-protein dinner and a bit of weight training to balance out the cardio. And Green tea with mint and a dash of lemon :-)

For a vegetarian like me, protein options are limited. Tofu (I really don't like this much), Soy milk, Sprouts and Paneer are easily available and some of the best choices when it comes to eating tasty and healthy food. 

So here's tonight's dinner

Boil sprouts in a microwave (for about 5 minutes on high). Let it cool.

Add finely chopped onions, green chillies, mint and coriander.

Add some salt to taste.

I have a taken recent liking to green tabasco. So I added a couple of drops of that.

Mix well. Rest for a few minutes.

Meantime, slice the paneer into long strips. Brush with some olive oil. I added some chilli flakes, mint, coriander and salt. (I used my MR sandwich maker, dumped these strips in there and let them grill, turning them over at regular intervals)

That's it and we are done. Happy dieting. (Warning: Do not watch Nigella's show when you eat this. I loved the coconut ice-cream she made today and was looking at my bowl of salad and shaking my head in disbelief)

Paneer-o-mania

It's been a week since I actually cooked. I had been terribly lazy and was actually eating curd rice for lunch and dosa for dinner almost all week. And ever since I started writing here, I feel guilty if I don't cook.

So yesterday, with the IPL finals and Monaco race and French Open happening, I was suddenly in a mood to put some effort towards making today's lunch. Well, yeah, I prep things ahead, usually the previous night, because the mornings are rushed and I like my precious time early morning to sit in the balcony and sip my coffee, and dream dreamy things.

I raided my fridge and found a pack of paneer wanting to be picked up. Fine, I love paneer and have made it many times in the past (especially for S) but I certainly was in no mood to make matar paneer, aloo matar paneer, paneer butter masala or any other such variation. Naturally I googled to see if I can find some interesting paneer recipe.

Now, I made this dish, because I was stunned, not by the dish, but by the name - Embassy Paneer. DUH, Seriously? I tried to get the etymology and all I could find was variations of this recipe, but no history of the incident or geography of the accident. Perhaps, they made this at all embassies? Or was it a standard menu at most parties? If any of you know, do please let me know.

Here's how we make it

Chop paneer into cubes. Melt about 2 tbsp butter in a kadai, add finely chopped onions, ginger, 2 green chillies and saute until translucent. Add 1/2 tsp maida, mix well and cook for a minute or so. Mix 1/2 cup milk and 1/2 cup water, add to the onion mixture, and stir well. It would take a few minutes for it to thicken, and once it does, add a couple of finely chopped tomatoes, 1/2 tsp ground pepper and salt, and cook for a few minutes. Add the cubed paneer and mix well. 


Finally add 1/2 tsp garam masala and chilli powder and finely chopped coriander. 


Serve hot with chapatis.


Note: You can make variations by adding mushrooms, capsicum and perhaps peas? 
Note 2: My measurements aren't exact; (er... the measurements of the ingredients, I mean) I don't go by tsp or gms, it's more of what feels right. So you might want to alter this to suit your taste buds ! :-)

I must have been really adventurous last night to even think of making something so outrageous, but surprisingly it turned out pretty well. (Obviously, else I wouldn't have blogged about it). And it was absolutely perfect for lunch today.